ASSITEJ International Theatre Festival Offers Young People Chance to Catch World Theatre

Cradle of Creativity: The 19th ASSITEJ World Congress and International Theatre Festival for Children and Young Audiences is a spectacular African festival with some of the most exciting international and local theatre for young audiences set to take to the stage in Cape Town this May. Cradle of Creativity, in partnership with the South African National Arts Council, takes place from 16 - 27 May, and is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see brilliant theatre for young audiences at one event which includes a World Congress, Festival and Conference.

Cradle of Creativity will offer local audiences and artists a rich and diverse programme in venues throughout Cape Town, including the Artscape, the Baxter and the Cape Town City Hall. There will also be cultural hubs in Atlantis, Gugulethu, Langa and Philipi over the weekend of 20 and 21 May. Productions on offer include works for babies, toddlers, children, tweens and teens. In addition, the Magnet Theatre Early Years Fringe will offer three days of work dedicated solely to theatre for children aged 0-7 from 24 - 26 May.

The conversation at Cradle of Creativity includes an intensive 2-day academic conference on 16-17 May, organised by the International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network (ITYARN) in association with the University of Cape Town's Drama Department and University of the Witwatersrand's Drama for Life. This is followed by a series of focus days from 18-27 May, themed around aspects of theatre for youth such as "Theatre and/as Education", "Theatre for Social Change", "Theatre for Healing", "Theatre for the Early Years" and "Dance Theatre for Young Audiences".

The Congress of ASSITEJ International will be a four-day meeting of ASSITEJ representatives from nearly 100 different countries. Under the leadership of its president, Yvette Hardie, the strategy for the next three years will be decided upon by the members of the 52-year-old organisation.

Theatre-lovers can expect a celebration of intercultural exchange at the Cradle of Creativity with works from around the world right here in the Mother City showcasing almost an entire alphabet of countries: Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Spain, Zambia and Zimbabwe - with a whole lot in between.

Bookings are through Computicket. For more information visit the ASSITEJ South Africa website.

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